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Nature and the battlefield

August 14 2017, 12:01am, The Times

Weeds are now the principal vegetation on the battlefield of Arras. About the middle of July their mosaic of colouring was wonderful, but now they are seeding the effect is drab and dingy. The common thistle swarms in masses so high that horses will not face making a path through them. When in full flower they gave great stretches of ground an appearance of heather in bloom, but that effect did not last long. The emblem of Scotland grows more beautifully than at home, perhaps in honour of the waving tartans which led the way over these hills in April. Like the Somme we have our poppies, not in distinct patches of colour, but like the red spots in a Scotch tweed. Great clusters of…